The Campaign so far
Kapitel 3b:
Battle at High Hill
The Kingfisher Festival culminates in the annual reenactment of the Battle of High Hill, held at a hill located about a 30-minute walk north of the village. The reenactment, which also serves as a drill for Vogler’s militia, is followed by a feast at the Brass Crab.
The event is scheduled to begin in the afternoon. About an hour before, Mayor Raven rallies Vogler’s militia in the village circle. The militia then leads a haphazard parade from town to High Hill, followed by dozens of spectators and a wagon filled with drinks for participants. This year’s reenactment is a little different than in past years.
This mock battle reenacts the Knights of Solamnia’s ancient victory over enemy forces from the eastern nation of Istar. The battle was led by Lord Vogler, a noble knight and the village’s founder.
This year, Mayor Raven arranged for a friend of the town, the mercenary leader Cudgel Ironsmile, to participate. Cudgel’s Ironclad Regiment is playing the part of the invading Istarian forces. The mayor claims it’s a happy coincidence Cudgel’s band was in the area during the event. Mayor Raven has given the village’s militia a lot of attention recently. Some villagers think she hired Cudgel to visit Vogler and help with this event—possibly because of vague rumors of war in the east. With trained mercenaries on the opposing side, this year’s reenactment could be more of a challenge for the militia than in past years.
Preparing for Battle
Passing through woods and fields, Vogler’s parade of militia members and reenactment spectators finally reaches High Hill. The grassy slope is spotted with trees and crumbled stone fencing. Near the base, several dozen soldiers in matching armor stand in even formation. The contrast is striking between these mercenaries of the Ironclad Regiment and Vogler’s militia—with their mismatched armor and crooked helmets—but it does nothing to dampen the spirits of those assembled for the Kingfisher Festival’s climactic reenactment.
After much laughter and jostling, the mayor, Cudgel, and other spectators walk to a nearby vantage to watch. As they do, the militia takes up its position atop High Hill—the same hill Solamnic troops held centuries ago. They face the mercenaries of the Ironclad Regiment at the base of the hill, arrayed as the forces of Istar once were. Although the event is only a reenactment, a tingle of excitement fills the field. Somewhere on the line, a reenactor hoots and yells, “Let’s send those Istarian rats running!”
A moment later, a trumpet blast signals the start of the battle. “For Istar!” yells the mercenaries’ leader, a tall half-ogre among several mounted soldiers. The mock Istarian troops assault the hill. Around you, the Vogler militia charges to meet them.
Battle of High Hill
The unexpected sound of metal clashing on armor rings across the field, silencing laughter and melodramatic boasts. A ribbon of red splashes over the grassy hill, followed by shocked screams. Any pretense of a reenactment shatters—High Hill is the site of a true battle once more. Within moments, all around you, armed mercenaries attack unprepared villagers fighting for their lives.
The characters have little opportunity to aid the villagers being attacked as four hostile mercenaryguards, each mounted on a warhorse, appear on the road at the southwest edge of the battlefield and focus their attacks on the characters.
During volleys of arrows and addition of wounded mercenarys our heroes defeated all soldiers. But short after their victorious skirmish a new enemy approached. A hulking figure swinging a formidable battleaxe leads a band of mercenaries through the chaos. He cuts through the few remaining members of Vogler’s militia as he and his six soldiers draws closer. This is Gragonious, an half-ogre, and one of Cudgel's lieutenants in the Ironclad Regiment. With enormous effort both physical and magical those thugs were also defeated.
At that point the surviving mercenarys fled north.
Our heroes helped gather the dead and stabilise the wounded. They also took a couple of prisoners.
Interogation of the prisoners gave this information:
Cudgel went to the the Mercenarys camp and our heroes scouted the area west of the camp. Cudgel's mercenarys are still loyal. Our heroes discovered an army camp west of the mercenary camp and estimated its strength to 1.000 soldiers. See the map "Vogler region".
Cudgel and our heroes returned to Vogler with the disturbing new of the army camped northeast of Vogler.